Southampton

Save our Services!

IN SOUTHAMPTON, Socialists are backing the building of a united campaign of taxpayers and council workers to stop over Ł6 million worth of cuts. Southampton Save our Services (SOS) members are standing in the 3 May elections. Nick Chaffey (Socialist Alternative - Save our Services) is standing in Bevois ward and Neil Kelly (Save our Services) in Portswood ward.

Victories can be won when the community and trade unions mobilise against cuts. The campaign over the last four years to save St Mary's Leisure Centre recently won the Ł250,000 refurbishment of the centre.

The joint action of trade unions, community groups and SOS recently forced the council to withdraw some cuts but the council budget retains massive cuts to services which still threaten jobs.

SOS opposes all cuts to local services and plans to privatise. We believe the council budget deficit should be met by central government funding. We need to fight for it.

* Full support for the care workers and all council workers taking action to defend job and services.

* No to privatisation.

* No redundancies and no cuts in services.

* For a council budget that meets the real needs of the city, fully funded by central government.

Nick Chaffey

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.

Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.

We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to click here to donate to our Fighting Fund.